As teaching and learning in higher education increasingly becomes an online activity opportunities for and instances of cyberbullying have become more common. Drawing on a recent study of Canadian academics in Quebec, Jérémie Bisaillon and Stéphane Villeneuve¸ find cyberbullying to be endemic to academic life and that those affected often lack knowledge or institutional structures through which to respond.

If cyberbullying in the student population, at primary, secondary and university levels is relatively well documented, the phenomenon seems to draw less attention among teachers. Yet, the use of technological tools to repetitively criticise, threaten, send inappropriate photos, or share personal information appears to be a part of teachers’ work nowadays.

In previous research, we found that 13% of primary and secondary teachers in Quebec (Canada) were cyberbullied by students, parents or colleagues. In university settings, researchers found that the phenomenon was affecting faculty and administrators at a similar rate (14%), causing a myriad of negative impacts such as, sadness, anger, stress, sleeping problems and loss of self-confidence.

In a context where technological tools are widely used by professors to fulfill their dual role of teacher and researcher, we carried out a research project in two French-speaking universities in Quebec between 2018 and 2021. A questionnaire answered by 202 professors and interviews conducted with 9 of them allowed us to update data on the prevalence of the phenomenon and its consequences while proposing possible solutions to counter it, an aspect that has received little consideration from policymakers and researchers.

According to our results, 39% of respondents (42% among women and 35% among men) were victims of cyberbullying related to their job in the year prior to the questionnaire administration. These figures greatly exceed the prevalence obtained in our previous research at primary and secondary levels (with a similar methodology), as well as those obtained by other researchers in university settings.

According to our results, 39% of respondents (42% among women and 35% among men) were victims of cyberbullying

Without denying possible biases, it is possible to assert that cyberbullying is well established among university professors, and that it may be increasing. The ever-growing volume of online courses, the importance of self-visibility and the various power relationships inherent to university hierarchical structure are peculiar characteristics of professors’ work that may explain their particular vulnerability to online bullying.

As our results show, teaching activities are the main cause of cyberbullying (46%). Students often use email to complain about grades or question the professor’s authority in an abusive language. If these cyberbullying episodes seem more common, attacks can come in many shapes. For example, as a professor said: “The students who are sharing videos taken from Zoom, I can’t take it anymore. [University executives] don’t talk about it, in fact, they don’t care.”

Professors also mentioned that their values, views, or opinions can be questioned or criticised by students and colleagues and, in some cases, by the media and the public. If university leaders greatly encourage productivity and scientific knowledge dissemination, they seem to disappear when the professors’ works lead to criticism: “You know, I’m myself heavily attacked as a professor, […]. Columnists said it many times that I was a university professor. It’s my identity, it’s my professor’s status that they questioned systematically, and the university remains silent.”

Cyberbullying can also come from colleagues in 31% of cases, according to our questionnaire. These situations can be sensitive considering that superiors are also colleagues. Therefore, it is possible to question the impartiality of the cyberbullying complaint management process. As a professor pointed out: “Let’s say that it’s easier to settle the situation when there is no colleague involved than when there is.”

Quantitative data synthesis surrounding the characteristics of professors’ cyberbullying incident (why, by whom and how questions enable multiple answers).

In a nutshell, cyberbullying can come in many forms, from many people and for a diversity of reasons. Despite this situation, there is a feeling that cyberbullying incidents are minimized or not proactively managed. According to our results, 78% of professors do not know what measures are in place at their university to counter cyberbullying or to support victims. When they are aware of it, a majority (68%) asserts that those measures are insufficient or inappropriate.

Therefore, it is not surprising that professors often do not report incidents (73%). A worrying situation considering the many negative consequences. In addition to personal impacts, such as stress, anger or feeling of powerlessness, professional consequences (confidence or productivity loss) are also mentioned. In some cases, relationships with colleagues and students have been affected by cyberbullying incidents.

To address this problematic situation, we interviewed professors about possible solutions. Our results show that when cyberbullied, professors often do not know what to do. Indeed, if laws in Canada and Quebec exist against harassment in the workplace, policies in universities seem to only tackle sexual harassment. Therefore, it is not surprising that the measure that is welcomed most favorably and which seems to be a priority for professors is the establishment and dissemination of a policy specially dedicated to cyberbullying.

A policy allows the implementation of clear guidelines, such as a zero-tolerance policy, requiring university leaders to take action in cases of cyberbullying or requiring employees to commit to a code of ethics regarding respectful online interactions. To prevent cyberbullying, awareness campaigns and online training can help disseminate the information, especially to students.

in many cases, simply acknowledging the difficulties professors face when they experience cyberbullying would be a good starting point.

Also, clear procedures for reporting cyberbullying should be in place. As a professor said: “We have procedural documents about everything in the department, but it is absent for harassment. As if it didn’t exist.” To promote empowerment, training and meeting should take place to inform professors on those procedures, other resources available as well as to educate about cyberbullying (definition, prevalence, types, consequences).

To manage problematic situations that arise, given that superiors are also colleagues, an independent entity could oversee the complaint process, ensuring its anonymity, or following up with victims and employers. In more serious situations, reparation for victims and consequences for aggressors could be necessary. However, in many cases, simply acknowledging the difficulties professors face when they experience cyberbullying would be a good starting point.

Even though our findings focus on Quebec, the results can have a wider application. Indeed, with the ever-increasing online presence of professors, students and public, cyberbullying incidents are likely to become more common. One might therefore ask whether readers are aware of their own institution’s policies in this area? It is however necessary to act proactively, either by developing frameworks to deal with cyberbullying, or as our research shows, by making existing frameworks and support systems better signposted and more accessible. Protocols should be disseminated to provide professors with the information they need when online abuse from students, colleagues, media or public occurs. This is however only the first step towards actually being able to evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions and ultimately improving them.

This post draws on the authors’ co-authored article, Cyberbullying of professors: what measures are in place in universities and what solutions are proposed by victims?, published in Studies in Higher Education.

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